The Foreign Hero
by Amarenzu
Summary: The Greater Holy Grail War wasn't supposed to happen - at least not the way that it did. From the Throne of Heroes, a new Servant is summoned. Thrusted into the midst of battle, the newest participant must end this Singularity. (Slow updates, AU, inclusion of other Fate/ characters)
1. chapter 1

A second path spilt from the original flow, much like a forked road. From the depths underneath Millennia citadel, the Greater Holy Grail let off a green glow from its golden innards. Altercations had been set, changes would be made, and a new fate sealed. A tremor rippled through the fabric of the universe, and soon the bells would toll. A singularity had been made.

}--o--{

"Ugh, Gil, stop staring at Altera! She may be a cyborg, but that should not be a reason for your loss of concentration!" exclaimed a figure of a short stature. The comment caused Gilgamesh's gaze to level on the person who spoke.

"Tch," was his annoyed response. Shaking his head, he turned to face the battlefield in front of him. "Georgios, advance and eliminate d'Eon." The saint carried out the command and quickly dispatched the Knight of the White Lily. Chevalier dissipated into blue particles before reforming off to the side.

Across the way, Zhuge Liang (El-Melloi II posing as the Chinese tactician's vessel) scoffed and countered the King of Heroes' move, "Hektor, dispatch Georgios." The famed lancer from Troy bee-lined to his target, making a wide slash with his lance. Georgios' form was removed from the battlefield and deposited off to the opposing side.

A sigh came from Gilgamesh's left, "Are you positive you know what you are doing, brother?" Once again, Gilgamesh glared off to the left, fists clenched in anger.

"Quite sure, Amarenzu," the golden king gritted out. "If you know what to do so well, then why don't you show how to be a better commander." Huffing in response, the white haired sibling analyzed the playing field in front of her, electric blue eyes narrowed in thought.

From the sidelines, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne and Fionn mac Cumhaill gazed at the match before them. The two watched as Amarenzu made her move. Watched as Alexander took another of the siblings' soldiers -- one of the Hassan assassins. Watched as Gilgamesh regained his trademark smirk; even if the trap was set by the younger of the two, the King of Heroes played it as if he set it himself.

"I know I just started spectating, but... What _is_ this?" Fionn inquired, glancing at his friend. Various moves were made, and one of the siblings' people was taken.

"Amarenzu stated it was an altered version of chess. Alexander and Zhuge Liang are the commanders of one side while Amarenzu and Gilgamesh command the other. Tamamo-No-Mae will be the overseer for the final game," Diarmuid explained, "some of the heroes join up to participate in this every century." Fionn nodded in understanding.

Amarenzu called for Cu Chulainn, but the tolling of a bell cut her off. No one made any movement as the bell continued its loud, baritone toll. Two short rings vibrated through the field.

A voice broke the silence that followed, "Saber!" Heimdall, located in the Throne of Heroes, stood as the announcer of each summon, so far there had been thirteen summons, fourteen including this one. After whatever war ended, all the heroes or whoever that was summoned eventually returned to the Moonlit Plains, a space where anyone with potential to be called on by the Holy Grail stayed indefinitely. Then, the heroes would wait to be summoned again. The routine was no different than going on vacation; however, once summoned into the Grail War, the hero's memory of the Plains was temporarily erased. Any information that the heroes would need outside of the life they lived would automatically be provided by the Grail. Programming that was a bitch.

Amarenzu sighed, "Geez, what kind of war is going on. That makes fourteen servants." She frowned before returning her thoughts to the practice match. The game resumed; however Amarenzu seemed to be distracted.

"Yes! We won!" Alexander exclaimed, his fist shot high in high. Amarenzu bristled, glaring off to the side while Zhuge Liang chuckled lightly.

Gilgamesh side glanced at his sibling with a mocking smirk plastered on his face, "Were you positive you knew what you were doing, dear sister?" Scoffing, the sibling in question scowled in response at the obvious jibe.

Regaining composure, she crossed her arms before turning away from where there battle was held, "No matter, it was simply a practice match. As much as I would love to stay and chat, I must converse with Heimdall." The remaining heroes gave their own good-byes as she walked off.

Heading towards the Throne of Heroes at the center of the Moonlit Plains, Amarenzu frowned upon seeing the overhead gloom surrounding the mountains in the distance. Her dimensional plain had been gradually getting corrupted ever since she aided in destroying the original Grail in Fuyuki; however with the destruction of the object of great power, the blasted thing started poking holes in time. Singularities started to form; luckily, Amarenzu had found some organization, Chaldea, who was already working on fixing the first few singularities that popped up.

The Throne of Heroes was built using a lonely mountain as its foundation; thus, it also had a staircase leading up to the main building. Walking up the long set of stairs, Amarenzu wondered -- not for the first time either -- why she even built the Throne so high up. She breathed a sigh of blessed relief as she climbed the last step before proceeding to open the glided door. Going down the various hallways, Amarenzu reached the main room that held an ethereal blue pool in the center. The pool's glow was the only source of light in the room, yet there was still enough light to see clearly.

"Ah, Amarenzu!" a voice called out from her left, "I've been meaning to speak with you." Heimdall approached the white haired girl with a hand raised in the air as greeting. Upon her questioning gaze, he continued, "how are you holding up?."

"Figures," she sighed, "Is this all you wanted to speak with me about?" The two had moved to sit near the pool, Amarenzu's eyes reflecting its glow as her eyes traced random swirls moving around in the mana pool. Receiving a stern look from Heimdall, she shook her head in mild exasperation. Amarenzu dipped her fingertips in the pool, the liquid giving off a cool touch. Her circuits flared to life at the touch of pure mana.

She flinched. Heimdall eyed where a series of circuits failed to power on along the back of her neck. Small bolts of blue arched over the points where the malfunctioning circuits met with working ones. His eyes widened as one circuit branch flickered before a section of it dimmed.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked, removing her fingers from the pool. The circuits retreated as soon as her fingers left. "I may not be as powerful as I used to be, but that hasn't held me back so far. Besides, a few lost circuits is a small loss compared to what could have unfolded if we didn't destroy the Grail back in Fuyuki."

"Why did you even use your circuits to make the Grail?" Heimdall inquired.

"My circuits were the only thing powerful enough to power the thing at the time, and I wasn't exactly willing to use them either. That mage from back then had other ideas though," she replied, shrugging. "Anyways, what's with the fourteen summons recently?"

"About that, they have been summoned to participate in a war caused by a singularity. From what I could see, there are two sides that will fight; however, once one side has won, the remaining servants will battle till one remains," Heimdall explained, "there are a few troubling factors as well. Some of the summons were from the corrupted areas that have recently appeared. I would advise you to sort this one yourself."

"Huh?" Amarenzu frowned slightly, "why not the Master at Chaldea?"

Heimdall looked appalled by her question, "This matter is beyond Chaldea's _only_ Master, and Chaldea currently has its hand tied with another singularity created by David's son, Solomon."

"Geez, David's son is proving to be meddlesome," Amarenzu stated, noting Heimdall's expression from before had faded. Looking to her left briefly, she saw Heimdall awaiting her decision. "Fine, fine. I'll remove this singularity. I'll be back after I --"

Amarenzu was cut off as the ringing of a bell vibrated through the empty room. Five long tolls rang. Heimdall was quick to make the announcement, "Ruler!" His voice would carry through the entirety of the Moonlit Plains. Shortly after, a golden mist traveled through the room. The mana pool in the center of the room let off its own mist that quickly formed a rift near the stone ceiling. The gold mist made its exit through the new opening; the portal closing as soon as it left.

Amarenzu's eyes narrowed, "I've changed my mind. I'll be leaving now. Heimdall, open a rift." Heimdall nodded before moving to one of the walls. He fiddled with something and a lever was revealed. After he pulled the lever, the pool made another portal above. Dissipating into a mist, Amarenzu followed whoever was summoned earlier.

}--o--{

Amarenzu could catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be Servant in front of her every now and then. Her own form started to materialize in the tunnel the two traveled in. Glancing down, she analyzed the change of clothes. Instead of her normal hooded cape, she had on a white button-less jacket on that divided near the end. She could feel the subtle weight of her thin, silver plated armor hidden behind the jacket. The rest had relatively stayed the same: a blue sash adorning her middle, an off-white tunic, dark blue form-fitting pants, silver ornate bangles hugged her wrists, and white boots that had silver trimming.

As she traveled through the tunnel, she caught a glimpse of red peeking out from under the sleeves that fanned out at the upper arm. She pulled the sleeve up to see Command Seals, each tribal-like, wrapping around her arm, not unlike a vine. Curious, she lifted the opposite sleeve. An identical set lay there.

Looking ahead, Amarenzu noticed that the figure in front of her had vanished. Soon, a flash of blinding light hindered her vision as she reached the end of the tunnel.

[--o--]

 _A flash of lightning struck the ground. Releasing a tremendous force upon the surroundings, a circle of fallen trees spread out from where the bolt struck. Left in the wake of the fading light was a figure. Blue eyes gazed from underneath white locks._

From inside a church, a white haired priest paused mid prayer and swiftly turned to look behind him. A Servant appeared beside the priest, "Is something wrong, Master?" The priest could not answer as he was lost in thought. He couldn't wipe the vision of a figure clad in white, silver, and blue from his mind. "Master?" his Servant tried once more.

The priest's expression returned to his normally passive look, "it seems another obstacle has appeared."

Ruler looked up from her seat in the back of someone's truck. The appearance of yet another Servant confirmed her suspicion of the Great Holy Grail War being abnormal. The blonde couldn't tell who's side the newest Servant was summoned for or if he or she was even on one. This war would be troubling indeed.

A Servant's presence was approaching, and Ruler could feel a killing intent.

}--o--{

Amarenzu gazed at the fallen trees around her, arms crossed. There were no notable features around to give her any insight to her location. Frowning, she tried to reach out for the Grail. Being summoned as a Servant -- forced or otherwise -- would have established a temporary connection to the existing Grail. If she was close enough Amarenzu would be able to feel that connection. She felt a faint tug coming from the south.

Well, it was something, so she couldn't really complain. The fact that the Grail had already formed was troubling; however, that was her only lead, even if it was extremely far away. Flying there was out of the question since it would reveal her presence to other Servants and their Masters along with catching the eye of random civilians. ' _Might as well get some distance covered_ ,' she thought as she dashed, heading south, her form disappearing in blue dust.

Even with the inhuman speed most Servants could achieve, some could even surpass it, getting to where ever the Grail was located was taking longer than Amarenzu wanted. She had been running for hours; the sun was well beyond the horizon and the moon was reaching the peak in its arch.

Finally reaching a city as the sun peaked out, Amarenzu decided to make a pit stop. The Grail's pull had gotten stronger. Amarenzu cut off the connection, there was no need for it until she set out again. Rematerializing where no one would see, Amarenzu quickly changed to more casual clothes -- the same set her previous Master from the Grail War in Fuyuki, Ayumi, had lent her.

Now adorning a loose, light blue shirt, white jacket, dark gray pants and her boots (she also kept on her bracelets), Amarenzu looked for a place to rest, preferably one that didn't cost money as she had none that would be acceptable. She found a small park with a few trees dotting the area that would work. Hoisting herself up to a high branch, she leaned against the trunk. The continuous amount of running she did put a toll on her body, unavoidable as it was for someone who ran for a whole day and a portion into the night.

From her spot in the tree, she analyzed the city in front of her. Whatever year it was, it wasn't as modern as the previous war. The sparse cars that drove by were of older models and the architecture in general was older though not by much. With little to do, Amarenzu did a quick check of her parameters. Everything seemed normal, however she noted that she was locked out of her brother's vault.

As she waited, she occasionally scanned for Servants, taking good care to keep her own presence concealed. Amarenzu also thought on the best way to introduce herself if the time arrived. She couldn't use "Caster" as those two slots were already filled and she wasn't there to replace one like in the 4th Grail War. "Ruler" was out of the question, and there already was the one who she followed here. One Ruler would be enough. There were fifteen Servants participating excluding her, so two of each plus Ruler left no class for her to pose as. ' _If you don't have a place to fill, then make your own_ ,' Amarenzu thought, dryly. If the demi-god recalled correctly, Chaldea had discovered new classes for Servants to fall under: Avenger, Beast, Alter Ego, and… something else. Conversely, she didn't fall under any of those, so that left her out of ideas. Giving her true identity could prove troublesome as well.

Why couldn't there be a class that was unknown, like "???" or something? The other Servants didn't really _need_ to know what she classified as. For all they needed to know, she was a Master-less Servant. Hopefully her rank EX luck would pull through if she came face to face with Ruler, but that was about as rare as getting a five star servant summon from Chaldea's summon roll. Best to avoid Ruler if she didn't want her identity discovered.

On to the matter at hand, she needed to either get rid of the Grail or find some way to eliminate cause of the singularity. The fastest way would be the Grail since it had already formed, but some of the Servants might not be too happy about that. With the mass of Servants that were summoned, it would be wise to wait until only a few remained. It's not like she was in a hurry anyways, plus, Grail Wars didn't typically last too long.

Night soon approached, and Amarenzu had switched between a few trees. By some miracle, her clothes remained clean. Suddenly, a fog encased the city causing Amarenzu to go on alert. She quickly leapt higher into the tree she was resting in, fully concealing her presence, and materializing her Servant attire. She didn't dare move a muscle when a figure -- a girl -- appeared underneath the tree. The girl was a Servant given her outfit -- or lack of. The clothing was suited for agility and upon seeing the knives the girl carried, Amarenzu pegged her as Assassin. This could end poorly.

Amarenzu watched as Assassin looked around the small park with slumped shoulders and a frown. She breathed a sigh as Assassin disappeared into the fog that was likely the girl's doing. Quietly slipping down from the tree, the demi-god forgot why she was even hiding. The harder she tried to remember, the more it slipped away from her. Dismissing the thought, she gazed at the wall of fog before her.

Amarenzu turned to the closest building, sprinted up the side of it, grabbed the edge of the roof, and tossed herself up and over on to the rooftop. Thankfully the fog didn't go past the rooftops, and now that she could see clearly, she noticed the fog encased only a part of the town. She continued along the rooftops; she froze upon hearing a splash. Peeking over the edge of the roof and down into the alley below, Amarenzu spotted a girl who looked strangely familiar and blood smeared across one of the walls.

The girl looked up. As a reflex, Amarenzu leapt back. Wait, why did she leapt back..? She frowned. Her memory was being altered, but she couldn't figure out the trigger for it. She bit her bottom lip, whatever she leapt back from couldn't have been good. A Servant? There were only a few classes she would definitely have trouble with; maybe it was the identity of the Servant she was being cautious of?

The sound of liquid sloshing pulled her from her thoughts. Perhaps the best course of action was a temporary retreat. If the Servant could erase her memory of said Servant, then it would better to prepare for the fight before charging into battle. Amarenzu silently dashed off into the opposite direction, noting the appearance of the fog was the Servant's doing.

While Amarenzu zipped along the rooftops, she noticed there was hardly anyone out, not even a peep. Given that it was night, that wouldn't have been so odd, but there wasn't a single light on either. Surely there was at least _one_ person who was up; it wasn't that late.

An explosion sounded in the distance followed by a burst of smoke. Almost tripping while skidding to a stop, Amarenzu turned to face the disturbance. Yeah, the city was either filled with citizens who were dead or deaf. With a new destination set, Amarenzu sprinted onwards. Finally, something exciting!

Amarenzu perched on the edge of one of the buildings. Electric blue eyes glowed as she enhanced her vision. Down on the street, a blonde knight looked around for something -- or rather someone. The fog had cleared; the Servant who caused it must have retreated. The knight, probably one of the two Sabers, dashed off. It was faint, but Amarenzu spotted the golden streaks of arrows shooting towards Saber. Following the direction the streaks originated from, she caught two figures on top of a building, one of them diving off the side.

Not wanting to get caught so soon, Amarenzu only dared a few buildings closer. She deemed going into spirit form useless since the Servants would still be able to see her. Her enhanced vision would do for now. The bowman was of Greek or Roman origin, though Amarenzu was leaning more towards Greek. Saber chased Archer down from the rooftop; however, he or she (it was hard to tell with all the armor, and men could have long hair too) was struck in the abdomen via some form of martial arts. She may have magically enhanced her vision, but it was by no means an Archer's eagle vision.

A crash sounded to her left. Glancing over, Amarenzu spotted the two Masters duking it out. The girl had a four armed mechanism attached. Given that the bottom two were primarily used as legs and the upper two were mainly for offense, Amarenzu guessed the girl was crippled in some way. The other Master was currently in the driver's seat of a car.

Amarenzu took a glance over to the two Servants; however one was missing and the other was running towards where the Masters were. Knowing that both parties would meet up eventually, she returned her gaze to where the Masters were.

[--o--]

Out of the demi-god's view, Saber of Red rushed over to where her Master, Kairi, was. The Knight of Treachery halted when she caught a glimpse of a white cloth up above, another Servant?! Her teal eyes widen upon looking up. There, perched on the edge, was a clash of white, silver and blue. The knight stared at the pale figure, how did she not notice his presence before? His short snowy hair reflecting the moon's brilliant gleam.

The Knight of Treachery briefly wondered if that priest from before sent him. Whoever it was didn't seem to be intervening anytime soon, so spying was the better bet. There was no indication of his class, but she was willing to guess that it was one of the Casters. The knight had only encountered both Assassins and Archer of Black, so really the white-haired boy could have been from either side.

The pale figure stood, revealing his detailed yet simple attire. She caught the glint of silver as the boy turned to walk off, disappearing in a cloud of blue particles. Storing the encounter for later, Mordred continued towards Kairi.


	2. Chapter 2

After Amarenzu left the battle, she went back to that one tree in that small park from before. Climbing to a high branch once more, she already started to review the things she saw. At first glance, she figured the Archer was either Greek or Roman, but after a back side view of him, she was leaning more towards Greek. There weren't many Roman centaurs after all. Given that there aren't many well known centaurs either, Amarenzu guessed the Archer was Chiron, the famed centaur teacher in Greek mythology. The knight, however, was a bit tricky as there were several famed knights in history. Obviously there was King Arthur - well Artoria - and his (her?) knights of the round table.

Artoria... Now that Amarenzu could think about it, that knight did look a little like Artoria. The King of Britain never really mentioned family, but that was common for most of the heroes in the Moonlit Plains. No matter, Amarenzu would find out eventually.

The knight's Master could cause her a bit of trouble with whatever inventions he has up his sleeves, but Archer's Master didn't seem difficult. Evaluation over, Amarenzu gazed at the star covered sky.

A Servant was getting closer, but Amarenzu could tell it wasn't one of the two from before. His or her presence was... different. Amarenzu went through the oddly familiar reflex of hiding up in the leaves of the tree before a blonde girl walked down below. Gazing down, she subtly masked her presence. The girl below made no such move to mask her own: Ruler.

"There was definitely a Servant around here, but…" Ruler looked around, frowning. There was a time and place for fighting and this wasn't one of them. Amarenzu had never fought a Ruler; subsequently, she didn't know how Rulers fought or their skills - passive or otherwise. At such a close range, Amarenzu's magic may as well have been a double-edged sword.

After several minutes of searching passed, Ruler finally gave up and left. Amarenzu's shoulders sagged, she wasn't gonna get a break anytime soon, was she? Holy Grail Wars were always so fast paced. She understood that the Masters and their Servants wanted the Grail with a burning passion, but can't there be at least a few days of respite? With the amount of Servants involved with this War, a grace period seemed slim if not non-existent. Amarenzu just hoped that there wasn't some sixteenth Servant somewhere out there, fifteen was more than enough.

The appearance of Ruler was questioning. One would think that he or she (a she in this case) would be closer to the Grail - Amarenzu being one of those people. The Grail was still a few towns over at the minimum. Was Ruler searching for something instead of heading to the Grail's general vicinity?

Amarenzu let out a groan, rubbing her temples. This was so confusing. For right now, it seemed best to wait and watch where the chips fell for this Grail War.

}-o-{

The sun rose not long after Amarenzu's train of thought met the full force of a headache. Now with people out and about, roaming around in the streets wouldn't be as suspicious as it would for her to do so at night. During her exploration of the city, she came across some civilians towing away a wrecked car, the very same from last night. There were also holes littering the stone road. The damage was surprising for a fight between two Masters without their Servants' aid, but it wasn't as impressive.

She heard someone pause nearby to look at the damage as well. Taking a glance, her eyes widened a fraction at the sight of the blonde teen from before. Amarenzu watched as Ruler analyzed the damaged car. Watched as she gazed at the surrounding damaged. Watched as Ruler turned and walked away.

Against her better judgement, Amarenzu followed Ruler, loosely as to not arouse suspicion. If Ruler stayed in the city overnight, then there had to be span style="font-style: italic;"something/span here. Ruler stopped at a four-way intersection and crouched to place a hand on the cobbled road. Amarenzu herself had moved to the rooftops after almost being caught minutes prior. A sigil appeared briefly before a pathway of light shot out in one direction. Amarenzu eyed the path of light, inspecting the direction it went down. Not waiting for Ruler to continue, Amarenzu paralleled the path.

The path came to an end at… a church? The white-haired demi-god stared at the building in front of her, what was so special about this place? She was expecting some evil lair or an entrance to somewhere below ground. Despite the anticlimactic find, she kept her guard up. Ruler's magic wouldn't have led here without a purpose regarding the Grail War. Amarenzu placed a hand on the wooden door. The faint presence of magic made itself known, causing her to pull back.

It's a trap.

Once again, she examined the church in front of her, only this time she was looking for traces of magic. The traces from earlier vanished. Her blue eyes narrowed, was the trap set for a Servant? The church didn't seem like it was expecting humans anytime soon. She pushed the door open and moved to take a step forwards.

A gasp was voiced from behind her. Blue met purple as the demi-god turned around. Amarenzu mentally kicked herself for forgetting about Ruler. She could pull off some innocent-bystander lie, maybe. A silence encased the two as each stared at the other.

"Need something?" Amarenzu asked, voice steady. Her question brought Ruler back from her stupor.

Ruler hesitated before shaking her head, "No, um… excuse me." The blonde proceeded forwards into the church. Amarenzu grimaced. Warning Ruler about the trap would have given away Amarenzu's status as a Servant, but now Ruler was going to take the brunt of whatever the trap was. Whelp.

"Hey, wait-" Amarenzu called out, but she was too late as chains formed around Ruler. Ruler looked down at the chains in shock before breaking them. Now in her Servant armor, Ruler inspected the innards of the church. Amarenzu swiveled on one foot and took a step forwards; now was her chance to leave. She froze upon feeling a tip of chilling metal graze her neck.

"Stop where you are!" Ruler exclaimed. Amarenzu turned slowly to meet Ruler's fierce gaze. "What was your purpose in being here? Who are you?"

"I was just leaving," Amarenzu offered, shrugging, "after all, I have a Grail to find." Instantly, she cursed her choice of words, why did she mention the Grail?

Ruler's eyes narrowed, "You are a Servant then." Amarenzu gave a halfhearted grin in reply, no point in hiding that fact now; her attire swapped for her Servant armor. The blonde's eyes widened and she lowered her spear - wait, was that a flag?

"I'll be off then," Amarenzu stated, giving a mock salute. Sadly, it would appear that fate had other ideas.

"By the power of the Command Seal, I order you to cooperate!" Ruler declared. Amarenzu was quickly ensnared by magic binds. She grit her teeth together at the force exerted on her that came from said binds. Lowering her weapon, Ruler placed a hand on her chin in thought. "I wish to speak with you; however, I must find someone else."

Amarenzu gave Ruler an odd look, "You would waste a command seal on something so trivial? No matter, who is this 'someone' that you are looking for? I am known as Amarenzu." The bindings dissipated into particles, and Amarenzu rubbed at where they had bound her upper arms. Ruler regarded her for a moment before shaking her head. Whelp, that's what she got for having all records of her existence erased by some no-good magus.

"As a Ruler, I receive revelations, and this man has appeared in several. I must speak with him, to you as well," Ruler explained before looking off to the left. "We must hurry."

Before Amarenzu knew it, the two were dashing through a forest. Suddenly, Ruler skidded to a stop, causing Amarenzu to awkwardly halt a few feet ahead. Amarenzu shot Ruler a questioning look before the ground started to rumble. The demi-god scanned the surroundings for a possible source for the shaking.

The ground ahead erupted, showering the area in dirt, as a structure reached for the heavens above. Amarenzu's eyes widen at the sight before her. A palace took to the sky; trees falling like rain in its path.

"The Hanging Gardens of Babylon?!" Ruler exclaimed in shock. Amarenzu side-glanced her temporary companion. Rulers could tell what a Noble Phantasm was by just looking at it? She supposed that was fair given that Rulers were supposed to act as a referee. The two could only watch as the castle in the sky took off in one direction.

Just as Ruler was about to run after it, Amarenzu caught her wrist and picked up the shorter woman. Ignoring her shocked expression, the demi-god kneeled slightly before leaping up into the sky and shooting forwards. Ruler glanced down before quickly returning her gaze to the Servant carrying her. It was obvious to her that this white-haired Servant was skilled in magecraft, at least enough to be able to fly. Ruler felt a hand maneuver from behind her back and watched as it wrote out some symbol that she had no knowledge of. A pair of blueish wisps formed from the symbol and circled around them like a ward or a shield.

The sun quickly set as a building appeared as a speck on the horizon, and the castle ahead started spewing darkly shaded objects onto the ground below. Amarenzu frowned upon seeing the dark flecks glow before morphing into skeletal warriors. Shortly after, two parties meet: skeletons vs. humanoid figures and golems. Chaos followed.

Two teal lines streaked across the night sky. Arrows rained down and hit a cluster of each side's soldiers; however yellow lightning sparked before arching up to meet the barrage of arrows. Amarenzu, with Ruler in tow, landed on a hill a few miles behind the floating castle as green lit up the surroundings. Looking up, Amarenzu spotted a three-horsed chariot race through the night. The same green appeared this time on the ground as it swept through some of the humanoid soldiers.

"Ruler, go find whoever it is you're looking for. I'll keep heading forwards, though you may find me fighting when you get back," Amarenzu suggested as she put the blonde down. Ruler looked hesitant, but nodded in response before she ran off while Amarenzu headed towards the battlefield.

The white tails of her jacket flapped against the wind as Amarenzu bee-lined for the battlefield. Warping from the edge to a central part of the many battles, Amarenzu created a shock wave upon arrival. Now at a closer range, the humanoid figures from before were identified as homunculi. Amarenzu felt the energy rush through her veins as she let off various forms of magic - though that could have been the occasional lightning spell.

Amarenzu didn't discriminate, launching spells at both parties. Her targets mainly consisted of the skeletons and the golems, only attacking the homunculi if they attacked her. A cluster of golems surrounded her. Slamming her fist to the ground, the earth trembled before erupting in a circular ripple. The golems were diminished to the dirt that they were made from.

Mid battle, Amarenzu paused in her killing spree. Holding her hand out in front of her, a sword materialized from blue particles that had congealed together. She gave the sword a few spins before pointing it up at the star-speckled sky, "Balalaq Saika!" Blue lightning arched down and hit the point of the sword. With the sword charged, she lowered it slightly to parallel the ground, and the lightning shot out from the end of the blade, diminishing the forces in front of her to mere particles. After seeing that purple-haired boy do it so often, she hoped she had gotten the calculations correctly; the results did not let her down. Giving a satisfied hum, she rested the flat side of the sword on her shoulder. With no one else coming up in challenge, she let the sword disappear in a cloud of blue specks.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a new arrival: a homunculi. He took in the aftermath of the fighting before rushing over to another homunculi amidst the rubble. Across the way, Amarenzu noticed that one of the Servants from before took off to chase after some skeletons into the forest. Looking towards the forest, Amarenzu noticed the presence of a higher grade of magic, enough to pass as a Noble Phantasm, but there wasn't any trace of a Servant. Ignoring the glance that the homunculi tossed at her direction, Amarenzu dashed after the Servant who had chased after the skeletons.

Sadly, amongst the flora, Amarenzu lost the Servant from earlier. Now, she cautiously watched for any movement as she ventured onward. She was so far into the forest that she couldn't tell which direction led back out. It was oddly silent in the forest; any movement calling for her attention. At this point she was starting to think she was becoming paranoid, but there was an occasional rustle among the leaves that seemed to be getting closer. This was like that typical clique horror scene where some stupid teen gets killed.

 _Shink. Thud._

Blue eyes darted between the blade that now imbedded itself into the bark of the tree to the right of her head and the wisps of white hair that floated downward. Turning around while conjuring a blade, Amarenzu had just enough time to parry a blade identical to the one just off to the side. Now on guard, she stared into the depths of the forest ahead. The glint of another darted towards her. Sidestepping, she dodged the projectile and gripped her own blade. Yet another was launched towards her, and she once again attempted to intercept it. Her blade fractured upon impact before shattering.

Amarenzu's eyes widen as a second blade had followed closely behind. Reflex took over, and she caught the blade with a shaky grip, wincing as blood trailed down from her hand. She tossed the bloodied blade to the side and let her wounded hand fall to her side. Healing it would have to wait; the nerve that was severed had to be healed correctly if she wanted to use that hand properly. It was no surprise when a blade sliced through the leaves yet again. This time it was aimed towards her heart.

The blade tore through her jacket, but the armor underneath blocked it from damaging anything vital. Her jacket started mending itself when she filled the space around her with fire balls. The spheres of fire clustered together into larger ones before bolts of electricity combined with them followed by concentrated air bubbles. With the combination of all three elements, the spheres around her flickered between purple and red with a hint of navy blue. Who dared to lurk in shadows for so long? Amarenzu snapped her left hand's fingers as a scowl contorted her face, and the spheres shot forwards. Upon impacting objects ahead, the spheres combusted sending any unfortunate trees flying or completely erasing their existence.

Smoke and dust filled the surroundings. Ash from the disintegrated trees fell like black snow. Minor abrasions covered any exposed skin and her clothes were tattered at the edges before they started to repair themselves. Amarenzu glared into the smoke clouds, daring something to move.

"Set."

"What?!/span' Amarenzu's head whipped around at the sound of a male's voice. Purple light illuminated the dark clouds. Pain coursed up her left leg as something else lodged itself in her shoulder. She heard metal shatter. Looking down, she saw pieces of metal scattered on the ground and a larger piece going through her knee. Amarenzu yanked the piece out along with the blade in her shoulder, stifling any sound of pain as she did. The wound in her shoulder wasn't that lethal, but her knee had shattered along with the blade that wounded it. Without the support of her left leg, Amarenzu fell into a kneel. She pressed her left hand to her shoulder, a faint light shined from underneath. Removing her hand, the shoulder showed no sign of ever being injured.

Amarenzu let out a shaky breath - from anger or pain she didn't care to note - before struggling to stand. She stumbled back a step or two, putting most of her weight into her right leg. The faint sound of something being thrown barely registered against the pounding of her blood. In the moment of imminent danger, Amarenzu acted on instinct.

Dashing forwards, she caught a glimpse of her opponent. White hair and glowing gold eyes. The sword that had been thrown earlier whooshed past her ear. Those golden eyes widened as she drew closer. Barely a few feet apart, Amarenzu leapt into air, sailing above the black-clad man. The man simply watched as the demi-god made her escape.

As far as Amarenzu could tell, the man (Servant?) did not give chase to her relief. However, adrenaline could only take her so far. Upon breaching the edge of the forest, Amarenzu collapsed to her knees, blood soaking through her clothes.

"Amarenzu?!"

The white-haired demi-god looked up from her position on the floor - it was Ruler. In her purple clad, flag-holding glory, Ruler came dashing towards the downed Servant. Failing to stand, Amarenzu sat on the grass covered dirt, dust and blood staining her armor. Waving Ruler's concern off with her working hand, the demi-god replied, "I'm fine- I think. Nothing any regular Servant would perish to."

Despite the physically younger's dismissal of her injuries, Ruler still examined her battered form. "You are clearly not," Ruler pointed out, "Your hand is severely damaged and-"

"Look, I'm fine, really!" Amarenzu explained, pushing herself off the ground. Subconsciously dusting herself off, Amarenzu stood tall despite the aching of her wounds. Ruler looked as if she wanted to comment on it, but she decided against it. Amarenzu sighed, muttering to herself, "there is no way I am healing a severed nerve on a battlefield…"

Overhead, the fortress from earlier loomed. In the distance, the battle between skeletons and homunculi plus golems continued. Just out of hearing range, the rumbling of an engine and a streak of beige yellow traversed the open field at an alarming rate.

* * *

A/N: So I forgot to put this last time. Whoops. Anyways for the few who decide to read this far into my story, thank you; the fact that you guys even read the first chapter is appreciated. I'll try to put out the next chapter in a week or so. For the people who caught the Magi reference, kudos to you. (May or may not publish the actual crossover, depending on how much of a failure/success this fic becomes) And wow, I was not expecting that many follows/favorites already... By the by, when I was editing this, the formatting got all weird, so there may be some parts missing or coding somewhere. I tried to clean it all up, but if any of you spotted anything while reading, please let me know, thanks in advance.

Also, disclaimer: I do not own anything except Amarenzu, the rest belongs to their respective owners.

SMV Aria2: Creative criticism is always welcome here. :) Thanks for the review; it reassures me that I am not a complete failure at life.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruler and Amarenzu surveyed the battlefield surrounding them. Noticing Ruler glancing down at her wounded hand, Amarenzu met her concerned gaze with a raised eyebrow. Ruler frowned, "Why have you not healed yourself by now, surely that injury is bothering you." Amarenzu glanced at her bloodied hand, mulling over a few thoughts.

"What you say is true; however, I would have to manually reconnect each damaged nerve. This process would take time and concentration, and I don't plan on being ambushed during the middle of it," answered the white-haired girl.

"Then I will protect you while you repair your hand," Ruler concluded, leaving no room for argument - not that Amarenzu had any. Ruler raised her flag-spear in a defensive position as Amarenzu sat cross-legged and began reconnecting nerves. Expanding a holographic view of her hand, she began her work diligently. Amarenzu paid no mind to the occasional clash of metal connecting to bone or rock, hosting some level of trust towards Ruler.

A sudden rumble of the earth below shook Amarenzu's concentration as well as almost throwing off a path of a nerve. Amarenzu sighed as she redirected the nerve; this is why she didn't want to do this on a battlefield of all places. As soon as she fixed the last nerve, Amarenzu let the glowing warmth of healing magic coarse through one hand and surround the injured one. Flexing her repaired hand, she stood up and faced Ruler who looked at her expectantly.

"Thank you… for watching my back," Amarenzu stated, turning away to look at the floating fortress up in the sky. Blue light encased the sky and shimmering particles rained down from above. She turned to face Ruler again, catching the retreat of a smile. A blue light streaked upwards into the heavens; similar streaks returned its call and decimated part of the area on the far side. A fight amongst Servants, Amarenzu surmised. "Alright, where to?"

"I must reach Red Faction's base and speak with one of their Masters," Ruler replied. The demi-god nodded before the two took off towards the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Upon nearing the floating fortress, purple sigils formed before chains darted out towards the two - specifically Ruler. Attempting to counter the trap, Amarenzu lifted a hand to cast a spell, but more chains shot out of the ground, locking her in place. A hoard of skeletons began to surround the two. Scowling, Amarenzu tugged fruitlessly on the purple chains. Ruler had better luck and magically shrugged them off before she spun her flag, slammed one end into the dirt, and created a wall of wind to expand outwards. The force behind the wind staggered Amarenzu but also destroyed the skeletons.

Ruler firmly gazed up at the fortress above. Suddenly, her eyes widened. Catching this change of expression, Amarenzu went on guard. Whoever was manning the Hanging Gardens could easily attack them again. Ruler whipped around to face the forest to their right. "Another revelation! He must be there!" With that said, Ruler took off, leaving Amarenzu behind. Amarenzu's shoulders sagged as she watch Ruler's retreating form before she darted after her. Honestly, these "revelations" seemed more like a homing device; nevertheless if Amarenzu helped Ruler, maybe Ruler could help her in return.

When Amarenzu finally got close to Ruler, a laser beam shot down towards them. Amarenzu shielded her eyes as well as herself, bracing for the impact; however, the expected burning sensation never came. Lowering her arm from her face, her blue eyes widened at the destruction the beam caused. Ruler stood before her unharmed, a firm gaze (borderlining a glare) directed at the Hanging Gardens. That was some _strong_ magic resist Ruler had going on.

"Amarenzu, let us be off!" Ruler turned, grabbed Amarenzu's wrist, and ran off, towing the demi-god along. It took a minute, but Amarenzu regained her footing and dislodged her wrist from Ruler's grip.

"So who exactly are you looking for again?" Amarenzu inquired, now matching Ruler's speed with ease. Before Ruler could respond, a new Servant appeared before them. A hulking mass of… whatever that was following shortly. The archer halfheartedly shot once at the glob before retreating. ' _Gee, thanks random Servant from nowhere,_ ' Amarenzu thought sourly before turning to face the mass of muscle. Surely the Grail was joking, what kind of hero would willingly have this sort of power. Then again, with the corruption of the Grail in the Third War, it wasn't that surprising to see non-heroes summoned. Gilles de Raise posing as a fine example. "Ruler, go find whoever you're looking for; I'll take care of this monstrosity."

"No, I will fight by your side. As Ruler I must eliminate anything that endangers innocents or the Grail War itself," Ruler exclaimed. Amarenzu shook her head in disbelief and sighed.

"Fine, do as you wish," Amarenzu relented, glancing at her temporary companion. Ruler acknowledged her statement and went into a defensive stance. Before the thing could even take another step - or whatever movement it was using, Amarenzu raised a hand, palm facing upwards. Glowing light rippled from above her hand. As it grew brighter, a shape formed, and Amarenzu grabbed at it. With a quick flick of her arm, the light faded, leaving a sword radiating a strange aura in her hand. The blade was more narrow than the average sword, though not as narrow as a rapier, and the guard made a slight v down the blade side. The blade itself gleamed a silvery blue while the rest glimmered gold.

Ruler let out a gasp of shock, eyeing the newest appearance of weaponry, "a Noble Phantasm?!" Amarenzu hummed in affirmation, moving into a guarded stance. The face that peeked out of the massive glob roared at them - more specifically the demi-god, accusing them of being oppressors. Ruler heard the clink of Amarenzu's metal bangles as she moved to hold the sword with both hands. The mass of flesh inched towards them. Ruler shifted her weight, ready to dodge or land a possible attack; however Amarenzu simply stood there, sword ready. The only noticeable movement made in her general direction was the wisps of magic growing up her legs.

The bulky Servant was finally upon them, one of the various hands raised high in the air. The shadow of its hand did not dim the glow of Amarenzu's sword as it hovered above. Ruler's eyes widened as the hand came smashing down, but she found herself too slow to make it there on time. Reaching out with her free hand, she called out her companion's name just as the massive hand crashed onto the ground. The Servant chuckled darkly to himself, ranting on about destroying the oppressors as dust spewed up from the impact point.

A flash of light sliced through the dark haze. "Heh, too slow. Your moves can be read from a mile away!" taunted a familiar voice. There was a sickening slosh of blood as the Servant's hand was cut clean off; Amarenzu stood a few feet forwards, flicking of the blood that clung to her sword. Dashing back, the demi-god put space between her and the berserk Servant. The dust cleared, giving the more sane fighters their vision back. However, the bleeding wound Amarenzu inflicted started to glow before more muscle generated. Amarenzu grimaced, "that is genuinely repulsive."

Testing a train of thought, Amarenzu proceeded to slash through the air; the slash created shot forwards, slicing off another appendage. Just like before, the wound only grew into more muscle. The muscle mass for the Servant must be insanely high, after that man(?) was all muscle. It would be a shame if he had no more muscle to grow back from though. "Hmph. Ruler, cover for me. I require a few seconds," Amarenzu requested, stepping back even further.

Her sword glowed brighter; its shape morphing into something new. She lifted the blade up to the heavens, and blue light swirled into it. Ruler stood before her, glancing her way as blue light encased the area. Muscle Man was transfixed by the light and hardly made any movement. Rings of energy formed, starting at the guard and went up the blade of the sword, and a beam of light shot down from the sky like a bolt of lightning. The air rippled around them. Shocked at the display of magic in front of her, Ruler stepped off to Amarenzu's side instead of directly in front of her. Sure the laser beam from the Hanging Gardens matched that of a magus from ancient times, but this seemed - _felt_ \- stronger. Amarenzu finally moved, bringing the blade back more. The sword now let off a blue mist.

"Aetherius!"

The rings of command spells wrapping around her arms slipped off, creating a circle around her. One of them glowed a bright crimson before fading out, and the circle separated and returned to each rings' respective arm. The beam of light arched around the blade as she swung it down again. Light erupted, encasing the surrounding area in white. Ruler couldn't see it, but she felt the tremor shake the ground, heard the cracking of the earth. When it vanished, all that remained of the Servant was a steaming crater. Amarenzu's sword dissipated into blue mist.

[-o-]

"My, my! What extraordinary power!" Caster of Red, Shakespeare, exclaimed, his arms thrown out to his sides. "To think one could simply eliminate the Destroyer of the Oppressors with a single blow!"

Assassin of Red, Semiramis, glanced towards her Master, gaging his expression after witnessing a piece of their plan unravel. To any other person, the priest seemed as passive as ever, but the Wise Queen of Assyria could tell when he was irritated. It certainly didn't help that a homunculus had obtained the power of a deceased Servant _and_ could use it longer than expected. "Hmm, can you tell who that white-haired Servant is?" she inquired, hiding the smidge of curiosity with indifference.

The priest pursed his lips, "I encountered that Servant earlier in the forest; however her identity remains unknown. If I knew she would end up becoming a problem, then I would have chased her down. However, her power may end up becoming useful as well. After all, she isn't technically on either side as of yet." Semiramis mulled over what he said. It was true; the girl could help them to some degree. However, she could also pose as a major threat to the plan. Assassin of Red looked back towards her Master, catching him in deep thought.

"Something wrong?"

He glanced at her; the expression abating to its normal passivity. "Caster," he called, getting the play writer's attention, "did you perchance catch exactly what her Noble Phantasm did?"

Semiramis scoffed, muttering, "you could have just asked me to replay that scene."

The priest's eyes widened as a slightly guilty look crossed his face, "Oh? My apologies-"

"No matter," Semiramis stated, cutting him off before waving her hand. Another hologram appeared showing the girl's Noble Phantasm on repeat. The two watched it while Caster returned to spectate what was currently going on. Semiramis didn't really see anything special, but something seemed off.

"There. Go back and slow it down," her Master ordered. She waved her hand in the opposite direction. It started again just as the girl was about to swing the blade back down and showed a slower version. There was a shift in the air around the blade, subtle, but a keen eye would be able to spot it. The shift could easily be magical energy though, so she wasn't sure as to what he was getting at. Something shimmered, catching her eye, as it looped once more. Without being told to, she moved it back a few seconds before stopping it as soon as she saw it. Leaning forwards, she narrowed her eyes. The detail was so tiny, but once she saw it, she couldn't un-see it. It was right after the air had shifted. Instead of the grass-patched dirt, there were slivers depicting a white-flowered field. It was as if someone shredded two landscapes and haphazardly meshed them together.

Semiramis looked towards the priest. It seemed he noticed it as well. Whoever this Servant was, she was not to be taken lightly. Maybe she should have made more poison.

]-o-[

Amarenzu turned to Ruler, ignoring the burn the magic circuits on the back of her neck let off, "See? I can handle one measly Servant." In truth, she could really only pull that off during certain circumstances. Many Servants could simply attack her as she charged up the attack; however that didn't seem to be the case for Muscle Man. Amarenzu did catch the stunned look, like a moth to a flame, on his actual face as she was powering up. She took her chances with him not making any offensive movements.

Ruler quickly recovered and faced the demi-god with furrowed eyebrows, "if you are able to pull this kind of power off, then what happened earlier."

Amarenzu fumbled for an answer, "That- that doesn't count. He probably had magic resistance or something. Not only that, it takes time to charge up an attack to that degree."

"He?"

Amarenzu nodded, looking off in thought, "An odd looking man now that I think about it… Not many tan, white-haired youths these days, or at all. He was probably a priest as well; he had a golden cross as a pendent.'' Amarenzu studied the change of expressions passing Ruler's face.

"I must find him! He is the one I see in my visions," Ruler exclaimed, turning to run back to where the two were headed.

Grabbing her wrist, Amarenzu stopped her from running off again. "Hang on, if that is who you are looking for, he's likely to have retreated already. We would have better luck finding him in the Hanging Gardens." Ruler weighed the options in her mind which showed visually. She turned to scan the battlefield before her and paused.

There in the distance, she saw something - rather someone. It was Sieg! He was under attack by Saber of Red. Without thinking, she charged forwards. There was no way she was letting _him_ of all people die. Amarenzu was once again left in the dust, but quickly caught up. The demi-god glanced between the homunculus and Ruler. Was there something between them? The boy was going to be killed at this rate; Ruler wouldn't make it in time.

Reinforcing her legs, Amarenzu sprinted faster, outrunning Ruler by a long shot. Conjuring her sword, she clashed with Saber. The speed at which she arrived tossed her coat tails sideways, dust splashing in the same direction. Unearthly blue eyes met fierce teal. The blonde Servant (probably Saber class) looked familiar… Amarenzu glanced down at the other's armor, very knight-esque. Ah, now she remembered her; the knight was the one from the night previous. Oddly enough, the knight seemed to remember her as well, "It's you!"

Amarenzu raised an eyebrow, tilting her head, "Can't say I've had the pleasure of meeting you, but yes, 'tis I." Apparently the knight didn't quite like that answer as she gritted her teeth and pressed down on Amarenzu's blade harder. Tightening her grip on the blade, Amarenzu pushed back with the same force; however her back foot started to inch back.

"Who's side are you on anyway? The priest's or Black faction?" Saber questioned. Amarenzu's eyes narrowed subtly at the mention of a priest, could that be the one that Ruler was looking for? If so, then it made a fraction of sense as to why Ruler was seeking him. From the way Saber worded it, the priest seemed to be in charge of one faction.

"Is neither an option?"

"Don't mess with me!" Saber exclaimed, stepping back before swinging her blade. Amarenzu sidestepped out of the way before dashing behind the knight as she slashed at where the demi-god had moved from. With her left hand, Amarenzu let off a quick Gandr right into the knight's back. The spell only staggered her for a second before she turned with a horizontal slash. ' _Another Servant with descent magic resist, troublesome,_ ' Amarenzu noted.

Running a hand down the blade, Amarenzu infused her sword with lightning. Bright blue arched along silver. "You think a little bit of magic is gonna scare me?" the knight asked, eyes fierce.

Amarenzu scoffed, "the Servants participating in this Grail War would hardly deserve being called heroes if they were scared of basic magic." Amarenzu swiped forwards, causing the knight to take a step back. While the blade missed by a hair's width, the lightning carried the attack further, sending a shock through the blonde's armor. The two circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

The knight stepped forwards, swinging her blade horizontally. Amarenzu back-stepped before dashing forwards, blade slashing up. The two traded hits, most missing or too minor to even count. Finally, the knight made another horizontal swing, expecting for her white-haired opponent to back-step again, but Amarenzu stepped forwards instead. Right as the blade was about to hit her, Amarenzu brought up her arm and pushed against the incoming sword. Teal eyes widened as steel was deflected by a silver band, leaving her wide open. The Knight of Treachery jumped back as a lightning covered sword grazed her chestplate.

She gripped her sword tighter, clenching her teeth in what Amarenzu suspected to be anger. Red flame started to claw up the knight's sword and swirl around her form. Raising her blade, Amarenzu prepared to block or dodge the next attack. A purple flash caught her eye. Glancing to the right, she saw the Hanging Gardens charging another laser. "Ruler, you need to get those two out of here!" she exclaimed over her shoulder. When she turned to look at the knight, she found that the blonde had already retreated.

The purple light started to grow, in size and intensity. Ruler stepped forwards, a determined look hosted on her face. She unraveled her flag. It was a French flag, going by its pattern. A French, flag-wielding maiden? Could she be the Holy Maiden who liberated Orleans in the Hundred Years' War? Amarenzu stored that train of thought for later. Right now, the imminent laser beam was more important.

Ruler stepped forwards while the pink haired Servant - was that a girl… or a guy? - covered the bleeding homunculus. "Uh, Ruler, what are you doing?" Before Amarenzu could reach her, Ruler's flag glowed gold as she placed it in front of her. 'A Noble Phantasm, eh?' Amarenzu thought shielding her eyes with an arm as the light intensified.

"My flag, please protect my comrades! Luminosite Eternelle!" Gold light burst from the glowing flag, meeting the purple beam that rained down towards them. Judging by Ruler's wince, the beam proved to be more powerful than the last. As Amarenzu glanced to her side, her eyes widen upon seeing the beam being split in two by Ruler's Noble Phantasm. As soon as the purple beam let up, Ruler slumped against her flag. Amarenzu turned to check on the two behind her, noticing how the pink haired Servant laid across the injured homunculus.

Raising an eyebrow, Amarenzu narrowed her eyes at the Servant, "Mind getting off of him? You're only making his injuries worse." The Servant looked back at her in realization before moving off of him, scratching the back of his(?) head.

"Right, sorry, Sieg," the Servant apologized to the homunculus - Sieg. Ruler hoisted herself up, using her flag as support. Just as Ruler made her way to the rest of them, the ground shook, causing each of them to look towards the point of resonance. The fortress had been hovering over the mansion in the distance, and a great whirlwind had wrecked the building, extracting an object from its center.

A pulse of energy caused Amarenzu's form to go ridged. Gleaming in the distance, floated the Greater Grail, the host of the singularity. She watched as it was pulled into the Hanging Gardens. Amarenzu felt a section of her circuits sing as the pull from the Grail grew, calling out to its maker.

"It seems I must go there as well. This will be the last chance I have to speak with the Red Faction," Ruler stated, stepping forwards. She turned to look at the homunculus one last time, "A lecture about your behavior is in order when I return, Sieg." The demi-god shot Ruler a questioning look - which the blonde ignored - before she shifted to face the Hanging Gardens once more.

"I understand. I'll be ready for it," came his reply. 'Hold up, what?!' Amarenzu thought doing a double take on the whole last part of the conversation. Ruler gave a sound of approval before walking off. The demi-god watched the retreating form of Ruler, a knowing look plastered on her face. Dropping the look, Amarenzu turned to the pink haired trap- Servant, "I'm sure I don't have to tell you to take care of him, correct? I don't really want to deal with a pissed-off Ruler."

The Servant shook his/her head, "I'm on it!"

Amarenzu nodded, mostly to herself, before dashing towards Ruler. Catching up to the blonde, Amarenzu side glanced Ruler with a forming smirk. When Ruler finally glanced back at the white-haired youth, Amarenzu spoke, "soo, you and Sieg, eh?" Ruler sharply turned away from her; however Amarenzu caught the dust of pink, gaining her a quiet snicker as she followed Ruler's now brisk walk.

* * *

A/N: So, I meant to get this out earlier, but, yeah... It didn't go as planned, so a lot of editing happened. Also, this fic is semi self-indulgence, so there may be some humor that might not quite fit. Also I will be on vacation near the end of June and into the beginning of July, so the update(s) will be more sluggish than they already are. To make up for that, I will try my hardest to have the next chapter (maybe two) out before I leave for that.

Enough about that, thank you to all who are sticking with this story; it means a lot, trust me.


	4. Chapter 4

The winds strengthened as Amarenzu and Ruler neared the floating fortress. Raising from the depths of the now ruined manor, the Greater Holy Grail gleamed a golden light. While the Grail was in front of her, Amarenzu wasn't sure if the cause of the singularity was solely the Grail or something else.

A fickle thing when it came to alternate universes. Observing the events would be her best bet in discovering the source of this singularity. Were these singularities just as difficult for the Master of Chaldea? If so, then Amarenzu felt a deeper respect for that young magus. Either way, the Master of Chaldea will mysteriously gain a rarer Servant the next summon.

As the two drew even closer to the Hanging Gardens, a thought donned on Amarenzu. How did Ruler expect them to reach the _floating_ fortress? Sure, the demi-god could fly them up there, but Ruler hadn't asked her to yet. Amarenzu sighed, reaching out to grab Ruler's wrist, pulling the blonde closer, and leapt up into the air. Ruler looked startled at the sudden change of altitude before she gripped her flag in two clenched hands.

Skeletal movement caught her eye as she propelled the both of them towards the Gardens. Barely containing an eyebrow twitch, Amarenzu scanned for an area to drop Ruler off. Upon spotting a small balcony, the demi-god paused, hovering in place as skeletal monstrosities approached.

"Apologies in advance," Amarenzu said, gaining a confused look from the blonde. Reinforcing her limbs, Amarenzu tightened her grip on Ruler's wrist before spinning once and throwing Ruler towards the balcony. As Ruler sailed through the air, Amarenzu conjured a spear with fire dancing along the blade.

The winged creatures roared as they charged towards her. Amarenzu twirled the fire infused spear around her fingers before readying a charge. Fire sparked a trail as her form blinked forwards; a funnel of flame incinerating the winged skeletons. With a flick of her wrist, the spear vanished, wisps of fire emitted from the movement before disappearing completely. Noticing more spawn from within the walls of the Hanging Gardens, Amarenzu retreated to the nearest entrance she could spot. It wasn't the balcony that she had thrown Ruler to, but at least she was inside the Gardens now.

Ducking behind a pillar, Amarenzu watched as the new wave of winged skeletons patrolled the skies before they returned to the walls of the Hanging Gardens. With a turn that caused her coat to swish, Amarenzu entered the flying fortress.

Upon arriving at an open hallway, Amarenzu paused and looked down both ways. It was eerily quiet; darkness encroached both left and right. The small green lanterns provided meager lighting. If she recalled correctly, the Hanging Gardens had a circular shape, so it really wouldn't matter which direction she picked. However, getting to the center was her main goal and busting down walls would only give away her position or potentially activate any self defense mechanisms. Peering down both ways again, the white-haired demi-god turned to the left and marched onwards.

Several turns and green hallways later, Amarenzu entered a room that resembled a small church. From what she could tell, she had entered from the left side of the room on the second floor. Once again, it was still quiet. The candles lining the room illuminated it more than the dim hallways that lead here, though not by much. If no one was here, then it was time to move on. Spotting another door across the way, Amarenzu quickly traversed the stairs that led down then up again. While she did see the main door to the room, Amarenzu thought it best to stick to the side paths.

On her way towards the door, she heard the soft click of heels and light taps of shoes. Now aware of the people nearby, Amarenzu concealed her presence as much as possible without going into spirit form. While spirit form did turn her invisible to the mortal eye, Servants could still see her, and there would be a brief sound emitted upon entering and exiting that form. If she could slip through the door, then surely she would be fine visually. Arriving at the wooden door, Amarenzu reached out a hand to twist the brass knob.

Only it turned before her hand could actually touch it. Pushing herself against the wall to the right of the door, Amarenzu watched as the door swung open, sinking closer to the ground. Suddenly, she started to regret the choice of white clothing.

"Hmm, that's odd," rang a feminine voice. More footsteps followed by a rustling of clothing.

"Oh?" A man's voice, though awfully young.

"Surely you felt the presence of another Servant as well, Master?" Amarenzu grimaced, dreading the thought of the pair discovering her sitting against the wall.

"I did, albeit faintly." The pair had paused right at the door; Amarenzu could see a piece of red cloth peek around the corner every so often. Thankfully, they didn't move the door any further as it would eventually end up squishing her and reveal her hiding spot. "While troublesome, there are more pressing matter to attend to."

"Right…" The two continued on their path; the female - and most likely the Servant - halfheartedly closing the door. Getting a backside view of the pair, Amarenzu's eye widened at the sight of the priest she had encountered in the forest. That would not have been a pretty fight if they had found her there.

Catching the door before it closed all the way, Amarenzu slipped through the door just as the two arrived at the set of stairs. Before she closed the door herself, she heard the faint twinkle of the Servant going into spirit form. Sighing as she quietly shut the door, Amarenzu trekked onwards and away from the pair.

}-o-{

Jeanne d'Arc, the Ruler for this Holy Grail war, landed with unexpected ease on the balcony that her white haired companion had thrown her to. Well, the Holy Maiden would like to think that the girl was her companion; after all, the two had fought a few battles together already. It was a nice change from one group trying to kill her and another that attempted to get her aid. Given that her (temporary?) companion belonged to no side, there were no rules being broken in regards to joining up with her.

When Jeanne had first met Amarenzu, she couldn't quite peg as to where the girl stood. Even now, she couldn't fathom as to the reason for her summon. From what she could tell though, much like Sieg, Amarenzu held her own Command Spells and a lot of them at that - though not as many as the Ruler class received. Whenever she got the chance, Jeanne made a mental note to inquire about Amarenzu's purpose in this War. Perhaps it would give insight as to why she was here as well. However, all of this would have to be after she talked with a Master of the Red Faction.

So far, there had already been several complications in regards to Servants that had been summoned. The Servant known as Spartacus was beginning to pose as a threat, but luckily Amarenzu had been able to defeat him before he could unleash his Noble Phantasm. Then, there was Assassin of Black, Jack the Ripper, who was disregarding the Greater Holy Grail entirely. Lastly, the sudden presence of a vampire in place of the Servant Vlad III. However, this maze of hallways proved difficult in finding the vampire.

As Jeanne traversed the green hallways, she could sense the presence of each Servant surrounding the vampire as well as another in the opposite direction. Had Amarenzu finally made it into the Gardens? If so, then her presence was very potent for a Servant, not even most Casters had one like hers.

Suddenly, the distant presence dimmed drastically before fading completely. The death of a Servant can usually be felt by the others, and Jeanne doubted that Amarenzu could be defeated with such ease which left the possibility that she went into hiding. Jeanne could only fan the idea that she was at a disadvantage against whomever was nearby as the Holy Maiden knew full well that she could take care of herself - with the one-time exception of the priest the girl had fought in the forest.

As much as she tried to not dwell on the enigma that was Amarenzu, Jeanne really only knew just that, her name. Generally, when a Servant gives his or her name, the parameters that he or she has are revealed, but no such information became known to her. The white-haired girl had even evaded Jeanne's skill to discover such information by a simple glance. While her class specific skill did have its rare occasion to not work, receiving her name should have revealed the information. There were so many questions that needed answers. And Ruler wasn't sure if she would ever receive them at this point.

-o-

Mordred wasn't too happy about retreating from the squabble she had with that one white-haired Servant. In all honesty, she couldn't decide if she had enjoyed the small time that they spent fighting. While the - judging by pitch of voice - girl had been using magic, her skills with the sword weren't half bad. Most mages that the knight had met proved to be pretentious assholes or couldn't even hope to survive against the might of her sword.

But in a way, the sword-wielding mage pissed her off. The mage had this air around her, not unlike the knight's father. Mordred gripped her sword tighter at the thought; no one should be able to hope to parallel the King of Britain. She had long since taken off her armor, now sporting the clothes that her Master, Kairi, had given her. There weren't any Servants around, they had all gone to the fortress up in the sky. Well, all except for one.

Rider of Black was still with that fake Servant, the homunculi. Rider's Master had appeared, her crazed voice grating on the knight's nerves. Not only that, the poor excuse of a mage was spouting some nonsense on causing her Servant pain and despair. Just as the lunatic used her last Command Spell to have her Servant kill the homunculi, Mordred took one quick swing and removed the burden of her head from her shoulders. Well, at least that's one less Servant to think about.

As the knight turned to leave, she noticed the shocked stares she received. Brushing them off, she continued to where her Master was waiting by the beaten up - what did he call it again? - vehicle. Now heading towards the fortress in the sky, Mordred almost anticipated meeting the white-haired servant - almost. The priest leading the Red Faction was a different story entirely. Her gut practically screamed at her not to trust him, and a gut feeling wasn't something she was about to ignore. The priest and his Servant seemed to be scheming, and Mordred did not want any part of it.

Speaking of sides… Her mind wandered back to the white-haired Servant; she wondered which faction she was on. As far as her Master had told her, all Servants were accounted for, seven for both Factions and one Ruler. The girl had even said that she was on neither side, and while that could have been complete rubbish, the Servant didn't seem to have been lying.

Mordred huffed a breath of frustration, leaning her head against the slightly cracked window. The humming of the engine was the only sound being emitted. The stationary fortress was still creating a funnel underneath it as the two drawled near. Strong winds started to push against the vehicle, eventually picking it up. Up and up they went, heading straight into the fortress.

-o-

Shiro Amakusa was nearing his victory, slowly, but surely. In the end, the pace taken to reach his goal wouldn't matter; he would obtain the salvation for humanity. He had waited sixty years for the chance of obtaining the Greater Grail, and he was willing to wait a few more days if it meant ensuring victory.

All that he needed to do now was take care of the second Ruler of this War and possibly the other Servant that was summoned with no apparent human Master. The homunculus, while surprisingly threatening to his plans, would not last much longer. As for the Black Faction, their Masters were so uncoordinated that taking the Grail proved much easier than expected. This problem wouldn't trouble him at all as he now held command over all the Servants of Red excluding Saber. Now the matter that was primarily troublesome was getting the Servants to cooperate with him; he doubted that all of them would accept the sudden transfer so readily.

He closed the door that the previous Masters of Red were secured behind. They would be rendered unconscious for the remainder of the War thanks to the poison that his Servant, Semiramis, had concocted. Some of the poison leaked out from the small opening at the bottom of the door, pinkish swirls curling around his boots.

With a soft twinkle and mist of blue, Semiramis appeared next to him. No words were needed to be exchanged as the two headed back towards the church-styled room. Shiro knew full well of the Servants currently in battle just a few hallways away, and of the more posing threat. It seemed Darnic was more than willing to throw away whatever sliver of humanity he had left in attempts to take back the Greater Grail. However, turning one's self into that of a monster, a vampire of all things, in order to retrieve the item of obsession was hardly excusable. His Ruler code blared at the blatant ignorance of the Holy Grail War "rules," but he would deal with that in due time.

Sighing, Shiro forced himself to relax just slightly. This would be a rare and brief chance to do so, and the War would only increase in difficulty from here on out. He was glad he had Semiramis by his side, literally and figuratively. As fate would have it, the first poisoner was on board with his plan to bring salvation to humanity. And, her Noble Phantasm was quite useful - it still is. Obtaining the Grail would have proved much harder without it.

The sight of the wooden door connecting the church-styled room ended his train of thought. As did the flicker of a Servant's presence, one he was familiar with. Well, in the one time he had met the owner, he noted the unique presence she let off. Semiramis had already opened the door by the time the presence had vanished.

"Hmm, that's odd," she noted as she scanned the room. Shiro paused at the edge of the opened door; his red holy shroud peeking around the wooden door as he turned to Semiramis who had stopped as well.

"Oh?" He knew exactly what she was talking about, but for the sake of keeping the appearance of an ordinary mage Master, he shouldn't really have the knowledge of a Servant in hiding.

Semiramis only gave him a dry look, "Surely you felt the presence of another Servant, Master?"

"I did, albeit faintly," he supplied, unconsciously putting up a small smile. He turned his head slightly to the right. In the silence of the room, he could feel the hidden Servant's presence waver slightly before retreating into nothing again. "While troublesome, there are more pressing matter to attend to." With that, Shiro walked away from the other two.

He heard Semiramis' drawled, "right…" before closing the door behind her as well as her approaching footsteps. As they neared the stairs, the first Ruler paused once more, turning to look at Assassin of Red.

"That poison you placed in that room with the previous Masters of Red, can it work on Servants as well?"

* * *

A/N: First and foremost, thank you for all the favorites/follows. And a thank you as well to Devil man for the review.

Honestly, writing long chapters is getting a bit tough due to timing issues, so some scenes may be drawn out more or there will be additional scenes, either way AU shenanigans will ensue.

Also, I am still contemplating on how I want this to end. I do have a general idea, but the path to get there is a bit sketchy in terms of writing it. The Holy Grail War itself is pretty short, which is making little room for plot. Enter the different perspectives! Lame excuses, I know, but I am working on it, promise.

Anyways, I might squeeze in another chapter before I take off on vacation, if not, then it might take a lot longer for the next chapter. Apologizes in advance.


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